Ushioda, S. | Engineering Papers

NASA NTRS1985

Prism-coupled light emission from tunnel junctions

Completely p-polarized light emission has been observed from smooth Al-AlO(x)-Au tunnel junctions placed on a prism coupler. The angle and polarization dependence demonstrate unambiguously that the emitted light is radiated by the fast-mode surface plasmon polariton. The emission spectra suggest that the dominant process for the excitation of the fast mode is through conversion of the slow mode to the fast mode mediated by residual roughness on the junction surface.

Ushioda, S.↗

NASA NTRS1984

Interactions between volume and surface EM waves in layered structures

Using light scattering spectroscopy, the interaction of Surface Plasmon Polariton SPP in silver films on a glass substrate is with the incident radiation and with optical phonons of an external medium in contact with the film. The mean free path and the field strength of SPP are determined. The same SPP plays an important role in light emitting tunnel junctions (LETJ) in which an electrical current is converted into Volume Electromagnetic Wave VEW. The efficiency of light emission from LETJ through a prism coupler rather than through surface roughness is discussed. The coupling between phonon surface polaritons (PhSP) and optical guided waves (OGW) in thin films of GaP is also examined.

Ushioda, S.↗